release date: May 6, 2016
format: digital (11 x File, FLAC)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,84]
producer: Anohni, Hudson Mohawke, Oneohtrix Point Never
label: Secretly Canadian - nationality: USA
Track highlights: 1. "Drone Bomb Me" - 2. "4 Degrees" - 3. "Watch Me" - 4. "Execution" - 5. "I Don't Love You Anymore" - 8. "Why Did You Separate Me From the Earth?" - 9. "Crisis" - 10. "Hopelessness" - 11. "Marrow"
First album released as Anohni is basically the fifth full-length studio album from Antony Hegarty - BUT, since the artist changed her name to ANOHNI (stylised in capitals), this is quite naturally a different release. Anohni is not chamber pop and art pop - the voice is there of course, but style-wise this is quite different from what people has come to associate with Antony and the Johnsons. It's a cross-over electronic album with uptempo beats and sampling as foundation, and the result is an alt. dance, electropop and synth-pop fusion with a blend of experimentation. Previous albums were all written, composed and produced by Anohni herself, whereas Hopelessness is the product of a collaborative effort. All tracks have lyrics by Anohni but the music has been made with either Ross Birchard or Daniel Lopatin, Both collabrators are credited as co-producers: Oneohtrix Point Never (aka Lopatin) and Hudson Mohawke (Birchard).
Thematically, the title may state 'bleak' and 'deep', and that's not entirely wrong. The songs are like modern protest songs about desperation in politics, concerning the environment / the planet, but musically, there's something uplifting as a contrast to the lyrical content, which makes it bareable, and ultimately: makes it succesful as music you can actually stand listening to.
The album has been met by widespread acclaim and once you're able to stop comparing with previous releases, Hopelessness frankly shines in its own right. Anohni's voice is an exceptional instrument, and the songs work as standalone compositions and as a rather diverse but nevertheless tight body of work.
Highly recommended.
